Cross A Finish Line for Children in Need

Cross A Finish Line for Children in Need

By Carrie Marriot

The Finish Line is Just the Beginning

Our son Henry, pictured here, was just 10 months old and learning how to pull himself up to standing. I was in the kitchen making dinner like any other day; with one eye on my son crawling happily around on the floor. While I took a chicken dish out of the hot oven and before I could kick the door shut, Henry pulled himself up on it. Even now, five years later, the memory of his intense pain and the huge blisters that bubbled up immediately on his little hands is as raw as it was in the moment. We didn’t know if he would regain full use of his hands.

Thanks to the unique pediatric burn unit at Children’s National Health System, today you would never know he’d been through such trauma.

There are countless stories similar to ours from families in the Washington, DC area – and from across the country and around the world – who have experienced firsthand the many reasons why supporting Children’s National is so important. Matt and Karen Smith’s son Noah is another example. Born with an extremely rare heart defect called Tetralogy of Fallot With Inverted Great Arteries {S, D, I}, Noah needed medical expertise that was hard to find. His was one of only 10 known cases around the world. His surgeon at Children’s National had treated this very condition and is at the forefront of innovation in the area. Today, Noah is like any other adorable, active 4-year-old, running up and down the soccer field and triumphantly scoring goals.

Race for Every Child

On September 13, at the Race for Every Child 5K, toddlers, teenagers, their courageous families and supportive friends – along with thousands of schoolmates, teachers, health professionals and community advocates – will walk, run, stroll, skip and (for the babies in strollers) roll their way to a finish line that marks new beginnings. I will be running with Henry and our whole family at my side.

At the Race for Every Child 5k run/walk (and the fun 100-yard Kids’ Dash for children aged 3 to 10), we say that “the finish line is just the beginning” because the funds raised from the event will have a lasting impact on the lives of so many children in need. Last year alone, Children’s National provided $41.3 million in uncompensated care to some of the nation’s most vulnerable kids.

The hospital welcomes every child in need of medical care – and provides every child with world-class care – regardless of the family’s ability to pay. Last year for our inaugural race participants represented some 26 states to help patients who came from 22 countries worldwide.

This year, we will walk together again with a monumental backdrop, down Pennsylvania Avenue, around the National Mall, past the U.S. Capitol, down Independence Avenue and then back with the goal of raising $1 million to continue to meet almost 15,000 hospital admissions, 108,000 emergency visits, and nearly half a million outpatient visits every year.

Wherever we may live, let us be unified in our purpose: To not only raise funds or advocate for an issue that is near and dear to our hearts, but also to learn lessons about community service and commitment to causes that create change.  In the process, we learn to step up for a cause and step out for our own health.   

The health and safety of NEA members, and the schools and communities they serve, is HIN’s mission-driven mandate. Remember that opportunities to realize this mission are not restricted to the classroom alone! The Race for Every Child is a case in point where our youth, family, friends – indeed, entire community – can take part in a fun-filled family day with a serious purpose:

To bring communities together to encourage children’s health and wellness and to raise much-needed funds that help the region’s only children’s hospital provide world-class preventive and critical medical care to every family in need.

Learn more at RaceForEveryChild.org, where you can sign up to run/walk or donate if you’re unable to join us that day. Please support this critical cause, and celebrate children’s health with us on September 13, 2014!

Guest blogger Carrie Marriott is an active philanthropist and advocate for children’s health and education, and a busy mother of four children under the age of 12. Youngest son, Henry, is one of the compelling reasons why is Carrie is chairing the second annual Race for Every Child for Children’s National Health System in Washington, DC to ensure that all children have access to world class health care, regardless of their ability to pay.

Reflections of an NEA RA Expo Newbie

Armed with my best booth smile, comfortable shoes and 1,000 lip balms to give away, I set out for Denver to get caught up in the pre- Representative Assembly (RA) energy I had been hearing about since joining the organization six months ago. I was excited to see the setting for the RA and to get the chance to meet some of the members we serve.

I was not disappointed.

The vibe, the energy, THE BUZZ I had been hearing about– it was all there. People were truly excited to be there, which is at the heart of any successful event. It was so great to talk to so many members from across the country. Working at headquarters, I don’t get that opportunity often enough, so I made-up for lost time in the Expo’s Hall of Health and Safety.

You told me about the concerns you have about health issues in your schools. You told me how much you love the students you work with. You told your stories, shared your frustrations, asked great questions, and made myself and the rest of the NEA Health Information Network’s team proud to work with and for members like you! Passionate, dedicated, smart, funny people who work so hard to make each day better for the students you serve. In my book, America cannot ask for anything better than that. 

So thanks for all that you do, and thanks for the Denver memories! The NEAHIN team looks forward to seeing you all next summer in Orlando. And don’t worry, we’ll bring the lip balm.

Bethe

Associate Executive Director

Educators Explore Healthy and Safe Schools

The NEA Expo opened this morning in Atlanta, Georgia and the Hall of Health and Safety was soon humming with activity.  NEA educators coming to the hall were able to visit the booths of NEA HIN, our Bag the Junk project, and our Hall of Health and Safety partners.  

Among the highlights of the day were the over 1000 educators who learned about new NEA HIN resources like The Food Allergy Book, Healthy Steps for Healthy Lives (2013), and Rx for Understanding: Preventing Prescription Drug Abuse.  They also learned about our new online store.  Other visitors learned about our Crisis Guide and the new Jerald L. Newberry School Safety Fund.  

We had visits today from a number of NEA HIN Champions who are leading actions, large and small to create healthy and safe schools.  And visitors to the NEA HIN booth got the chance to spin our prize wheel where everyone is a winner!  

If you are in Atlanta at the Expo, please joins us on July 2 for the second and final day of the NEA Expo. We hope to see you there.